The Right Stuff (1983)

VHS COVER/SIDE

Length of film: 192 minutes

Rating: PG

Genre: Adventure, Biography, Drama

Director: Phillip Kaufman

Starring: Sam Shepard, Scott Glenn, Ed Harris, Dennis Quaid, Charles Frank, Lance Henriksen, Scott Paulin

IMDB Rank: 7.8/10

Part 1 Time: 89 Minutes

Part 2 Time: 103 Minutes

Where does the first part end? John Glenn (Ed Harris) is speaking to his wife Annie Glenn (Mary Jo Deschanel) about the future of the program and the six other men he will be working with.

Final line of dialogue on the first part: John Glenn speaks to his wife Annie stating, “It’s important to America to get a man up there first. I plan on being the first man to ride a rocket.”  

First line of dialogue on the second part: A voice over a telecom counting down test rockets “Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, zero.” Multiple test rockets fail.

How jarring is it when the first part ends? None, the dialogue between John and Annie is light-hearted, but this was the appropriate time to separate the film.

Which tape is better? Both parts have their positive features. The first part focuses on the previous careers and rigorous training each of the members had to endure to become one of the Mercury Seven. The second part spotlights the successful and failed orbital space missions each member was apart of. But due to the excitement and mystery of space the second part gets a slight edge.

Academy Awards: Best Sound, Best Film Editing, Best Effects- Sound Effects Editing, Best Music, Best Picture (Nominated), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Sam Shepard, Nominated).

National Film Registry: 2013